Match Day 2014

At 11 am on March 21, Erik Constance, MD, associate dean for student affairs, distributed the long-awaited green envelopes containing residency matches to all 65 graduating medical students in SIU’s Class of 2014.

Twenty-eight SIU medical students (43%) will train in the primary care specialties of family medicine, internal medicine and pediatrics. If the two student matches in obstetrics/gynecology are included, the total rises to 46 percent.

“I am pleased that so many of our students have chosen primary care specialties for their residency training,” said Dr. J. Kevin Dorsey, Ph.D., dean and provost. “With so many of our graduates staying in the region, we can continue to strengthen the health-care services for our citizens.”

SIU and its affiliated hospitals attracted 20 SIU seniors (31%) for residency training. Another 11 seniors (17%) picked other Illinois programs and 16 seniors (25%) selected Midwest programs, making a total of 47 SIU medical students (72%) who will begin training in the Midwest.

Match results also were announced for SIU’s residency programs based at the School’s two affiliated hospitals — Memorial Medical Center and St. John’s Hospital. Seventy-four starting positions in Springfield were filled. The first-year residents will join 200 senior residents and fellows already in training at SIU programs in Springfield.

SIU also has affiliated family medicine residency programs in Carbondale, Decatur and Quincy, each three years in length. Seventeen first-year positions have been filled for next year through the National Resident Matching Program match and a similar program held last month for osteopathic physicians. These residents will join 35 senior family medicine residents and fellows at SIU’s affiliated hospitals — Memorial Hospital in Carbondale, Decatur Memorial Hospital in Decatur and Blessing Hospital in Quincy.

The mission of SIU School of Medicine is to assist the citizens of central and southern Illinois in meeting their health-care needs through education, patient care, research and service to the community.